SELF-AFFINE SCALING OF FRACTAL RIVER COURSES AND BASIN BOUNDARIES

The scaling properties of the geometrical features of river courses an d basin boundaries are investigated. These structures show anisotropic scaling which classify them as self-affine fractals. The self-affine characteristics of channels and boundaries have been found to be the s ame across the different river basins analyzed. Using a simulation mod el of river networks and basin landscapes, the relationship between th e self-affine characteristics of channels and the three-dimensional st ructure and evolution of the landscape is shown.